Folding brake construction



July 16, 1949. wA ER 2,208,061

v FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION I I Filed April 11, 1958 4Sheets-5heet lJuly l6, 1940- B. WARGER FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed April 11, 1938 July 16, 1940. WARGER I 2308,06]

' FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 11, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet sFTTOR/VEYS .Hy 16, 1940. w E R 2,208,061

FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 11, 1958 4 Sheets-Shae; 4

' BE/VJH/W/V WHRGEA. 1 15.51- 1 Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATESPATENT oFFicE Benjamin Warger, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 11,1938, Serial No. 201,407

7 Claims.

Folding or cornice brakes are widely used in tinsmith shops forproducing gutter or like trough structures from blanks of sheet metal.The construction of these brakes or folding machines, however, makes itnecessary to perform the various folding or bending operations inseparate runs, and a lengthwise turning of the halffinished productbetween such runs is also necessary to permit the performance of certainfoldll) ing operations. Obviously, considerable time is lost by suchprocedure, and the efficiency of output of the folding brakes is ratherlimited.

Another disadvantage of the present day constructions of foldingmachines of this nature re- 1 5 sides in the fact that all sheet metalblanks from which the final product is manufactured have to be measured,laid out, and marked so as to enable the operators of the machine toproperly insert the blanks into the same for the various foldingoperations to obtain fairly accurate results. However, even though thegreatest care is exercised, the final products manufactured by this typeof machine will not be exact duplicates. According to the presentpractice, the bending or folding operations are started from both sidesof the sheet metal blank, and any inaccuracies due to slight variationsin size of the sheetmetal blanks and inaccurate positioning of the samewithin the machine cannot be corrected and may cause considerabletrouble during installation of the gutter.

The foldingbrake construction of the present invention has been devisedespecially for the purpose of eliminating the above mentioneddisadvantages, and it is therefore the object of the present inventionto provide a folding brake construction which permits the manufacture ofgutters or other trough like structures from sheet metal blanks in asingle run of successive folding operations without the necessity of alengthwise turning of the blank worked upon.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a gutterfolding machine which comprises a plurality of matrix members arrangedin a certain cooperative relation to the other parts of the machinein'such a manner as to permit a movement of these matrices to operativeor inoperative positions. By arranging the matrices in this manner, theutility of the fold- ;ing machine for other purposes is not impairedthereby and its use for any other kind of folding or bending work forwhich such' machines are generally adaptable, is not prevented.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision ofcertaingauge or abutwarping and bending of the sheet metal blank fromwhich the final product is formed.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following description and accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a folding brakestructure according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial front elevation of the machine of Figure1.

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the folding brake structure ofFigure 1, certain parts being omitted for the purposes of clearness.

Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of a portion of one of the matrixholders employed in connection with the present invention, andillustrating especially the adjustability of the same.

Figure 6 is a top elevation of a gauge device, illustrating thearrangement of various gauge members upon a gauge supporting structurewhich is secured to the folding machine.

Figure 7 illustrates an-end' view of the gauge members and theirsupporting structures as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 shows a side view of another gauge or abutment member.

Figure 9 illustrates a top view of the abutment member of Figure 8.

Figure 10 shows a lever construction for performing certain folding andbending operations.

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the lever construction asshown in Figure ,10, the section being taken on line ll-H ofFigure 10and certain parts being broken away.

Figure 12 is a plan view of a blank of sheet metal from which thegutters or trough members may be formed in accordance with the'presentinvention. I

Figures 13 to 20 inclusive are somewhat diagrammatic views showingportions of the folding brake of the present invention and theircooperation during the various folding operations of the 5 machine.These figures demonstrate also in successive order how the sheet metalblank is folded during each operation of the machine to obtain the finalproduct.

Figure 21 isa sectional view of a completed gutter structure as obtainedin' accordance with the tee chings of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings and especially to Figures 1 to 3, Iillustrates the working table of the folding brake structure which isprovided with uprights 2 forming a base structure for supporting thecooperating parts of the structure I at the proper elevation mostsuitable for performing the various folding operations. table I isstationary and carries at its forward end a lower jaw member 3 which issomewhat elevated with respect to the remaining surface 4 of said table.Angularly disposed with respect to the table I is a movable upper jawmember 5 adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly with respect to thelower jaw member 3 by means of upper jaw levers 5 cooperating with cammembers 1 and 8 to produce the above described movement or by any othermechanism well known in the art. Hinged tobearing members 9 at both endsof the working table I is a. folding member or plate I 0. The bearingmembers 9 are integral parts of the table I and cooperate with similarhinge members II of the folding member or plate by pivoting around pivotpins I2 mounted within the bearing members 9 and extending laterallytherefrom into the bearing members II.

-'.The folding member In is further provided with counterweights I3 soas to counterbalance the weight of themovable plate It to a certaindegree and to relieve certain of the lifting strain on the operator whenthe plate It is raised upwardly as shown in Figure 19 to perform thebending or folding operations. For the convenience of the operator, thefolding member or plate I!) is provided with a handle portion I4. Theplate Ill is further provided with cut-out portions I5:which arepositioned adjacent cutout portions or grooves I6 in the upper jaw 5 andthe lower jaw 3.

Mounted on the bearing member II on each side of the machine is a gaugesupporting member I'I provided with a plurality of sleeves I8, I9, and29 adapted to carry gauge or abutment members 2|, 22, and 23 adjustablysecured to gauge arms 24, 25, and 26. The gauge arms 24, 2,5, and 25 aresecured to'the sleeves I8; I9, and 20 respectively by means of clampingdevices 2?, 28, and 29. The sleeve members I8, I9 and 20, together withtheir respective gauge arms and gauge members are movable with respectto the gauge support I'I so that the same may be swung into operativeand inoperative positions. Stop pins 30, 3I, and 32 secured to thesupporting member I! cooperate with slots 33, 34, and 35 of the sleevemembers I8, I9, and 20 to limit their movement and to maintain the samein proper operative or inoperative positions. I

The gauge orabutment members 2I, 22, 23

may be readily adjusted with respect to their cooperating gauge arms byloosening the lock nuts 36, 31, 38 and by turning the respective gaugemembers to obtain proper position, whereupon the lock nuts are'tightenedagain. Further adjustability of the gauge members is obtained byloosening the clamp connections 2'5, 28, and 29 and-by shifting thegauge arms 24, 25, and 26 with respect to their cooperative sleevemembers. I Mounted upon the upper jaw 5 is a plurality The" of matrixholding or supporting members genment of the matrix 40 to swing the sameout of the way if not in use, but to permit the same to be loweredimmediately into cooperative relationship with other parts of themachine when in use. A plurality of set screws 42 threadedly connectedwith the lower portion 39a of the matrix holders engage the surface ofthe upper jaw member 5 and are provided to permit a correct adjustmentof the matrix 40 with respect to the upper jaw member 5 and othercooperating parts, as will be clearly understood from the following.

The matrix holder members 39, as shown clearly in Figures 4 and 5, aresecured to the upper jaw 5 by means of head screws 44 threadedlyconnected with the upper jaw member 5 as shown at 45. Interposed betweenthe matrix holder members 39 and screws 44 is an eccentric bushing 49positioned in a concentric hole 41 in the upper portion of the matrixholder 39. By removing the screw 44 the eccentric bushing 46 may beturned within the hole 41 and in this way a more proper positioning ofthe matrix holder members may be effected, especially if such matrixholding members are to be attached to present day type machines where itsometimes may be rather difiicult to exactly position the screws 44.

Thefolding member or movable plate I9 is also provided with a matrixmember very similar in configuration to the matrix 40, as clearly seenfrom Figure 18. This matrix member has been indicated at 48 and extendssubstantially over the whole length of the machine, in the same manneras matrix 40. The matrix holder 49 of the matrix 43 is secured to theplate III and is of a construction similar to matrix holder shown at 39.The .matrixholder 49 is clearly illustrated in Figures 18 and 19 andmaybe swung out of the way in a manner similar. to matrix holder 39.This has been indicated in Figure 20. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate anabutment member 59 which comprises a frame structure 5! havingupstanding portions 52 and 53 through which a rod 54 extends. For thispurpose the upstanding portions 52v and 53are provided with openings 55and 56. The opening 55 is somewhat elongated in a vertical direction soas to permit an up and down movement of the rod 54 which is providedwith ashoulder member 51 adapted to engage the lower edge of the opening55 when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 8. The rod 54 isprovided at its rear end with a washer 58 held in position by a pin 59,and interposed between the washer 58 and the upwardly extending portion53 offfthe abutment frame 5i is a spring 60 tending to holdthe rod 54 ina retracted position. The'rod 54 is further. provided with a threadedportion IiI cooperating with an inwardly threaded sleeve 52 of the gaugeor abutment 63 which is also provided with an additional sleeve memberI54 within which the rod 54 is free to move.

It will therefore be seen that 'by turning rod 54 the abutment 53 may bemoved backwardly or; forwardly to establish the desired adjustment ofthe member 63 necessary fora certain working operation. The forward endof rod 54 is providedwith a cam-like portion 65 and a handle member 56forpurposes which will be later explained. A'shoulder plate 61 limitsthe backward movement of the rod.

With the parts in the position shown in Figure 8, it will be seen thatwhen the forward end of the rod 54 as indicated at 54a. is pressedupwardly, the shoulder 51 will be disengaged from the lower edge of theslot 55 and by virtue of spring 60 rod 54 will be moved backwardly untilthe shoulder 51 contacts the frame portion 52. This position of theparts is shown for instance in Figures 13 and 14. By gripping the handlemember 66 of the rod 5 and pulling the same forwardly and downwardly,the parts may be brought in the position shown in Figure 8. In thismanner two fixed positions for the abutment 63 are provided for purposeswhich will become apparent later on from the description of theoperation of the machine.

The frame 5! of the abutment member 50 is mounted upon the table of themachine and it must be noted that one of these abutment structures isprovided for each end of the machine. The forward end 545a of the rod 5extends through the recess it in the upper jaw 5 and lower jaw 3. Frame5! is held in place and secured to the working table i of the machine bymeans of screw 68, as will be clearly seen from Figures 13 to 20inclusive.

By positioning the frame 5!, rod 54, and its forward end 54a in themanner above described, a cooperation between cam 65 and recess I5 ofthe folding plate i5) is obtained; 1. e., when the rod 54 is in theposition shown in Figures 8 and 16, upward movement of the folding plateit! will bring the lower edge of the recess E5 in camming cooperationwith the cam portion 65 and cause an upward movement of the frontportion 54a of the rod 54 which will disengage the cooperativerelationship between the shoulder member 51 and the lower edge of theslot l5. whereupon spring 5i? will force the rod 54 and abutment 63rearwardly until the shoulder plate 61 contacts frame portion 52.

In Figure 10 there is shown a lever construction 69 comprising thehandle portion ill and frame structure it having a lower frame member 12extending substantially over the whole width of the front portion of themachine. The lever construction 69 is not directly attached to themachine and is separate therefrom but cooperates therewith to performwork on sheet metal blanks in a manner to be described. The lower framemember l2, as best seen in Figure 11, is provided with a gripping member13 for engaging the partially folded sheet metal blank to thereby permitbending or folding of the same against the lower matrix 48. This step inthe operation of the device is clearly illustrated in Figure 19 and willbe more specifically described later on.

Figure 12 shows a blank of sheet metal from which the gutter or similartrough membermay be formed. These blanks are obtained by cutting thesame from large plates of sheet metal to proper size and length. Thisblank is folded and bent until it finally assumes the configurationshown in Figure 21, which represents a sectional view of the finishedgutter produced by the machine of the present invention.

Mounted upon the upper surface of the table 4 is a guard plate 4a whichhas an upwardly inclined portion db angularly disposed with respect tothe rear vertical surface of the jaw member 3 and contacting the samenear its upper edge. This guard plate is adapted to properly guide bentportions of the sheet metal blank upwardly between the bendingoperations when the partially bent sheet metal blank has to be removedfrom its position between the lower and upper jaw members. In theabsence of this guard plate the bent portions of the sheet metal blankwould otherwise catch at the rear side of the lower jaw 3 and theremoval of the blank to perform additional bending operations would berather difiicult.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 13 to '20 inclusive, theoperation of the machine will be described in conjunction therewith.Before the machine is set into operation and the various folding andbending operations are performed, the abutment or gauge members 24, 22.23 and 63 are first adjusted to the respective desired positions, whichof course vary according to the size of the gutter or trough to beproduced. They may be set within limits to any distance for suchpurposes, as will be quite obvious to those skilled in the art. Themachine is now conditioned for operation. The levers 6 at both sides ofthe machine are operated and the upper jaw member 5 is moved upwardly soas to permit the introduction of the sheet metal blank M as shown inFigure 13. Then the upper jaw member 5 islowered so that its lower edge75 rests upon the upper surface of the sheet metal blank M substantiallyas shown in Figure 13. When the blank is inserted in this manner, bysliding the same into the machine in the direction of the arrow 16 inFigure 13, it will be noted that the rear edge of the sheet metal blankwill abut against abutment or gauge 83, which at this time is in theposition shown in Figure 13, and is properly positioned so that only acertain desired length of the blank 14 as shown at 11 extends outwardlyfrom between the members. The folding member 5 0 is now moved upwardlyto a certain extent by gripping the handle I4 so as to bend the portion1'! of the blank substantially into a position as shown at 11a in dottedlines. The operator will of course use his judgment as to how far theplate II) will be moved to obtain the desired angular position of theforward portion of the blank '74. Slight variations in angularity areinconsequential.

Referring now to Figure 14, and proceeding with the description of theoperation of the machine, the next step involves again the operation ofthe levers 6 to again raise the upper jaw member. The abutment members23 on both sides of the machine are now swung into a position as shownin dotted lines in Figure '7, and the sheet metal blank M is pulledoutwardly until the outer portion 'll'a of the same abuts against thestops 23. Thereupon, the upper jaw m b 5 is lowered to thereby clamp thesheet metal blank securely in this position. The abutments 23 are swungout of the way to a position as shown in Figure 7 in full lines. Thefolding plate [0 is now raised to a horizontal position and the part 18of the blank is bent at right angles to a position as shown at 13a inFigure 14.

gauge for this operation. plate it is now moved to horizontal positionand the portion 18b is thereby bent into the configuration shown- Nowjaw.

in dotted lines in Figure 1.5, at 19.

5 is again raised and, as shown in Figure 16, the handle members 86 ofthe rods 54 of the abutment members 58 on each side of the machine aregripped by the operators and pulled out wardly until the shoulder member51 engages frame portion 52 of the abutment frame 5| in substantiallythe same manner as described previously in regard to Figure 8. Thismoves the abutment 63 a certain distance forward toward the lower andupper jaw members. The sheet metal blank 14 which has now theconfiguration shown in full lines in Figure 16, is pushed into themachine until the rear edge of the same abuts against the abutmentmember 63 and the upper jaw 5 is now again lowered. The folding memberI0 is moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 16, therebybending the forward end of the portion 19 of the blank 14 upwardly andat right angles thereto as shown at 19a. During the progress of upwardmovement and while the bending of the portion 19a has been partiallyaccomplished, the lower edge of the recess l5 as shown at I50. in Figure16 will now engage the cam of the rod 56. The front end of the rod 54a.will be rocked upwardly, the interlocking engagement between the parts52 and 51 will be released, and abutment 63 will move back to itsoriginal position under the force of spring 60.

Figure 17 illustrates the next step in the formation of the finishedproduct, which involves raising of the upper jaw 5 and a swinging intoposition of the gauges 24 at both ends of the machine. The blank M isnow slightly pulled forward until its portion 19a engages gauges 2|,

whereupon the upper jaw 5 is lowered again to clamp the blank in properposition. The abutments or gauges 2| are 'moved out of the way and thefolding member 18 is raised to a horizontal position and the forward endof the blank, as seen in Figure 17, will thereby assume the positionshown in dotted lines in Figure 17 and designated 88.

The next step in the operation is illustrated in Figure 18. However,before describing this operation, it should be mentioned that during allprevious cycles of operation the matrices 48 and 48 were swung out ofthe way so as not to interfere with the working operations. Now,however, the same will be swung into positions as shown in Figure 18,which are the operative positions, after the blank M has been pulledoutwardly to such an extent that the portion 8| of the same abutsagainst the lower side 82 of the jaw 5, the latter serving now as anabutment member. With the parts in this position, the folding member IDis moved upwardly as shown in Figure 19. The portion 83 of the blank 14is forced against the matrix 40 and bent thereupon according to theconfiguration of the latter. As will be seen in comparison of Figures 18and 19, the upward movement of the protruding blank portion is caused byengagement between the portion 83 of the blank and the matrix 48 whichmoves with the folding member ID. Now with the blank bent as in fulllines in Figure 19 and with the folding member [0 maintained in theposition shown in the same figure, the lever member 69 is placed withits gripping members l3 engaged with the free end of the protrudingblank portion as shown in Figure 19', and with the plate l8 held in theposition shown in Figure 19, the lever 69 is pressed downwardly towardthe matrix member 48 by manual force of the operators to the dotted lineposition, forcing the portion 83 of the blank against and partiallyaround the matrix 48. This gives the partially finished product theappearance shown in full lines in Figure 20, and the same is ready forthe performance of the final bending operation, which is accomplished byraising the upper jaw 5 in the usual manner, swinging the abutments 22at both ends of the machine into operative position and pulling out theblank M until it abuts against the gauges 22. Now the gauges are swungout of the way and the folding plate 10 is raised to horizontalposition. This bends the sheet metal blank at 84 at right angles and thesame assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 20. The upperportion 85 of the now finished gutter 86 will abut against thesupporting frame 39, or, if the same is arranged higher up and out ofthe way from that as shown in Figure 20, it will abut against the upperportion of the upper jaw 5. However, this will not do any harm tothefinished product because it is sufficiently springy and will retain itsshape without any deformation. When the upper jaw 5 is now raised andthe finished gutter removed, it will have the appearance shown in Figure21.

From the above it will be noted that by setting the gauges and abutmentmembers as mentioned hereinbefore, the dimensions for the variousportions of the gutter structure are predetermined and no variations inthe size of the i finished product can possibly occur. Furthermore, ifthe sheet metal blank should not be cut to the exact size, only slightvariations in dimension of the gutter portion 85 will occur. Suchvariations in size of the portion 85 are absolutely inconsequential andcannot be seen when the gutter is mounted in place on a buildingstructure.

The abutment and gauge members, as well as a certain portion of thematrix holder members 39 and 459 may be permanently secured to thefolding machine referred to herein, and, if desired, certain portions ofthe matrix holders 39 and 49 may be integral parts of the upper jawmember 5 or the folding plate In. However, if desired, these parts mayalso be manufactured so as to be used as attachments for foldingmachines of present constructions to render the same adaptable and moreefiicient for the purposes of manufacturing gutters in the manner setforth herein.

The matrix 48 may be a-djustably mounted on its holder or supportingmembers 49 substantially in the same manner as shown in Figure 5, so

that a considerable flexibility in the horizontal adjustment of saidmatrix may be obtained.

The matrix members 40 and 48 may be of any desired configuration, aswill suggest itself for various purposes of practice.

If desired, the sleeve 64 of the abutment 63 may be provided withinternal threads and the portion 6! of the rod 54 may be arranged to 00operate with the threads of the sleeve 54 while in such case sleeve 62is not internally threaded, as will be clearly seen from Figures 13 to20. Either the construction shown in Figure 8 or in Figures 13 to 20 maybe used' in connection with the present invention, as will be obviousfrom the illustrations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A folding machine of the class described, comprising, in combination,a plurality of cooperating jaw members, a folding plate movable relativeto said jaw members, abutment means on one of said jaw members forholding a sheet metal blank interposed between said jaw mem bers in apredetermined position with respect to the same, and instrumentalitieson said abutment means cooperating with said folding plate for shiftingsaid abutment means to another predetermined position upon operation ofsaid folding plate.

2. A folding machine of the character described, comprising, incombination, a plurality of cooperating jaws for holding a blank ofmaterial to be worked upon in position, ,a movable folding memberadjacent, said jaws movable relative to the latter for bending saidblank of material with respect to said jaws, matrix members 'on one ofthe jaws and the folding member adaptedfor actuation upon the blank ofmaterial and for causing bending thereof incident to the operation ofthe folding member, and man ual means comprising a leverhaving agripping member engageable with said blank for causing bending thereofabout said matrix-means upon movement being imparted to said lever whilesaid blankis held between said jaws.

3. In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, atable having a fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member mounted on saidtable above the fixed jaw member, abutment means carried by the tablefor limiting the positioning movement of the work in one direction inrelation to the: jaw members when saidwork is inserted between the jawmembers, and a series of differentially positioned gauge members carriedby the table and arranged. to differently gaugethe positions taken bythe work when adjusted in a direction opposite to the direction in whichthe work is limited in its movement by the abutment means, operatingmeans for the movable jaw member to effect its cooperation with thefixed jaw member, and a folding member on the table arranged to performbending operations on the work when the latter is adjusted to itsvarious positions in which it may be set by cooperation thereof with theabutment means and the said gauge members.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the gauge members referredto are adjustable toward and from the jaw members.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the gauge members referredto are adjustable toward and from the jaw members, and other partssecuring the gauge members in their Working positions adjustablyconnecting them to a table for adjustmentsat right angles to thedirection of their adjustment toward and from the jaw members.

5. In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, aworking table equipped with a lower jaw member, an upper jaw membermovable above the table toward and from said lower jaw member, abutmentmeans on the table for positioning sheet metal inserted between said jawmembers for bending operations thereon, operating means for the upperjaw member to effect movement thereof toward and from the lower jawmember and to position the same in working engagement with the lower jawmember for holding the sheet metal, a gauge member movably mounted onthe table and shiftable to a predetermined gauging position to governthe position of the sheet metal on the table with respect to said jawmembers, and a folding member movably carried by the table adjacent tothe said jaws for bending the metal while held by the jaws, said gaugemember being movable to non-working or inoperative positionpermittingthe folding of the work on the table without interference therefrom,said abutment means being equipped with a camming part arranged tocooperate with the folding member so that upon movement of the latterautomatic movement of the abutment means may be caused.

7.'In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, aworking table equipped with a lower jaw member, an upper jaw membermovable above the table toward and from said lower jaw member, abutmentmeans on the table for positioning sheet metal inserted between said jawmembers for bending operations thereon, operating means for the upperjaw member to effect movement thereof toward and from terferencetherefrom, spring means adapted to actuate the abutment means, and cammeans on the abutment means operable by movement of the folding memberto cause action of the said spring means on the abutment means forshifting the. position of the latter.

BENJAMIN WARGER.

